


The Silver Gauntlet

by aymiwalker



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Also might change rating whateves, But it might not be a shark too idk you can decide, Hurt/Comfort, I hate how many au tags i have lmfao, Language Barrier, M/M, Magic, Mental bonding, Royalty AU, Slow Burn, Will add as more come along, i need to step up my game, i want this fic to be gorey but i feel it isnt gorey enough, its basically just marriage lol, mermaid au, not ABO but mating is a thing, shark attack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9518159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aymiwalker/pseuds/aymiwalker
Summary: Yuuri, heir to the Katsuki clan and a fallen kingdom of mermaids on the brink of extinction answers the call of his people to rediscover the fallen city of Atlantis, where magical weapons and armor were onced forged and made the mer race unformidable and powerful.When Yuuri adorns his family heirloom, a mysterious piece of his armor, a silver gauntlet, beckons him away from his people and into the vast unknown, searching for what would complete him.The world has become a dangerous place for a mer however. What will he discover outside the comforts of his secluded home and ventures into the unknown.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of just world building and exposition first chapter. I was dead tied when I wrote this.

The city of Atlantis was one known by many as fact and legend, a mighty utopia of mers wielding tridents sharp enough to split the bellies of brigs, brandishing armor that could shatter spears and ricochet bullets. The forge was the heart of the city, an underwater volcano spewing the purest of ancient minerals ingrained with the earth’s magic. The mer civilizations thrived off of it, and it was by forging these minerals that they managed to maintain the status as the most dominant species of both water and land. The land dwellers depended on the naval transcontinental transportation of goods, and in order to cross the perilous seas they were at the submission to the mighty societies that ruled from down below.

 

That was until the city of Atlantis was lost. And so it became fact by some, legend by most. Stories said that the forge consumed the city, the earth ruling the species far too powerful, and taking back what they had once gifted the mer civilization and destroying it forever. Others say the land dwellers retaliated, finding their own magic or other means to destroy the city and the inhabitants below. Most say it never existed at all. Relics from long ago- helmets, spears, jewelry, armor- all the glorious gifts of the forge had grown dull, the magic faded and metal broken.

 

The fate of the mers were even more mysterious. At one time the species were one of a kind. Not all mers lived in Atlantis, but it was there where many from the different societies resided at some point of their lives. When a mer heir came of age, they were bestowed upon their own weapons and armor, taking upon themselves an sacred oath to protect their clans and uphold the mer civilizations to the fullest. Mer clans and kingdoms were far and inbetween, inhabiting all reaches of the planet, and yet Atlantis is where all would meet, and thus they were all but one species.

 

After the fall of Atlantis however, everything changed. The kingdoms, though they mourned and sought vengeance for their losses, were driven back into their habitats, separated forever. As the battles progressed and the numbers dwindled. Hierarchies were destroyed. Riches were stolen. Kingdoms were lost. The few that survived took much adaptation to do so. And as years turned to centuries and into a millennia, the creatures that were once one were now of many. Different tongues, different scales, different stomachs, and even different lungs. The one thing that hadn’t changed was the mental connection all mers held for each other. It was the strongest and most powerful everlasting gift the earth had ever given them, connecting their minds in perfect telepathy. No language was too different for the minds of mers to connect, should they still seek it. And it is of this fact that the legend of Atlantis still holds true in some hearts, and a hope for the rebirth of the once mighty civilizations, destined to rise once again.

 

These are the stories that every mer in Yuuri's clan knew, and it was on this day that his oath must be realized.

 

Not the rebuilding of mighty mer empires though. No, that was something he hardly thought he was capable of, not to mention if even at all possible. The stories had been so inconsistent and inconclusive. He doubted if Atlantis was ever even real- though he’d never tell his family as such. But they were insistent that once the last of his guppy spots- the golden ringlets that had onced speckled the dark blue scales of his fin- had finally disappeared, then he must brandish the ceremonial armor and make his ancestors proud.

 

He found the entire spectacle to be absurd. The city was gone, and there wasn’t and never would be a suit of armor crafted so perfectly and justly for his body. No armor oozing in magic and making him all powerful. They just didn’t exist anymore, and certainly the sorry excuse of rubble hand-me-down antiques his family claimed belonged to their ancestors would cut it.

 

He gave a heavy gulp of seawater, letting it flow through his throat and out of his gills in a sigh.

 

He didn’t want this.

 

He wasn’t even the first heir their clan called upon. Every heir before him, his mother Hiroko, his grandmother, his great grandfather, his great great grandmother, and so forth. Every generation before him was called to take up the oath, and every generation before him had failed to fully fulfill it. And all because of that one suit of armor.

 

He supposed he should take some comfort in that, even if fate hasn’t given him favor quite yet. His elder sister, the true heir for their clan had found a mate within a minor subfamily and was mated before Hiroko could call upon her. The drastic absence of the eldest was distressing, but in the end they were happy for her. An heir was not allowed to mate until after they responded to the oath, and after Mari’s sudden disappearance it fell on Yuuri, the second eldest heir of the clan to respond to it.

 

His mind told him that there was no way he could uphold the oath. The armor would fail him, and he’d have to serve his clan as the others before him had. He’d forgo the armor, take up the trident, mate and bear more heirs to try again. And if the armor did fail him, he might be able convince Hiroko to pass down the trident to his sister, leaving her to lead their small society instead of him. Yes, he’d much prefer it that way. He wasn’t much of a leader, and Mari was much more level headed than he was. She even has the bearing children step down, granted she did skip first step. But Hiroko would be understanding.

 

His mind told him that was the best possible scenario, but some other indescribable part of him told him it would not be the case. It was a sort of magnetism in his gut, pulling him who knows where in whatever direction, and it was filling him with apprehension.

 

Once again he took a big gulp of seawater, letting it slide through his throat and out of his gills in a large sigh. His mother would come for him soon. He couldn’t hide. Their habitat was an intricate hive of deep sea coral and caves, and though it was vast it was full of many families, all knew who he was and what was to become of him. They’d see him by no matter where he’d go, and being in the deepest parts of the caves it would take a miracle to creep to the clear surface unseen. It wasn’t a suffocating feeling though. Their kingdom, or what was left of it, had adapted to deep seawater and tended to live in deep caverns such as these. They seldom did leave besides foraging, and hardly ever traveled. There was no reason to do so. The fortress had protected them well for centuries, and it would continue to do so for many more to come.

 

So temporarily fleeing wasn’t an option. The best he could do was to wind down his nerves, and what better way to do so than to rest in the special lower caverns as he so often did.

 

Their home was partially responsible for the survival of their clan during the wars. It was deep, it was intricate, and it was vast and plentiful if one knew how to look. And the most important was that it was almost alive. Special currents flowed through the cavern, starting from the bottom and through until it was released into the ocean. The most important one was the strongest one at the very bottom. It was a deep black hole with thick hot water pumping from it in waves. The source of the current had yet to be discovered, the hole too deep and too hot for a mer to travel before being boiled to death in an attempt. Once the water spread through the caverns it dropped into pleasing temperatures, keeping their home comfortable and habitable.

 

And it was down below, down in some of the more scathing caverns that Yuuri resided.

 

He wasn’t directly inside the current. No, to do so would be too direct for the too hot waters, and the force of the current would spin him out of control. Instead he kept to the side of the current where the cooler waters swirled with the hot debris of the currents, and he rolled with it happily. The hot water melted his body in the right ways, making him relax, and the motions of the swirling water were like gentle massages to his flesh.

 

He even rolled in the soft warm sand that had been baking in the undisturbed chamber, enjoying how it scraped against his smooth round scales and removing anything that may have grown on him.

 

He had arms full of the warm sand, pulling it to his chest and holding his body flush to the warm cavern bottom. For the first time that day he was comfortable, and his pelvic fins patted the sand in contentment. He could fall asleep like this. Maybe if he closed his eyes, just for a little while…

 

The feeling of playful deviousness trickled in the back of his conscious. Their excitement was as much amusing as it was mal contained, and Yuuri smiled as the three guppies swam into the chamber with him, small spotted bodies flapping against his own in an attempt to disturb him.

 

“ _Yuuri!_ ” “ _Yuuri!_ ” “ _Yuuuuuuri!_ ” he smiled again as the three distinct voices formed in his head through their telepathy. He knew what they were excited about his ceremony, but he couldn’t help but feel fond of their enthusiasm. He always had a soft spot for children of his two best friends.

 

Yuuri wiggled his body deeper into the warm sand, humming in response. “ _Yes?_ ”

 

“ _Your mothe-!_ ” “ _Hiroko-san!_ ” “ _The leader wants to see you!_ ”

 

He hummed again just so they wouldn't hear him groan. So she sent the kids to fetch him. Or did she ask Yuuko and Yuuko sent them to fetch him? That was most likely scenario, as Yuuko knew how persistent the guppies could be, and how Yuuri was helpless to deny them for too long.

 

Their flapping grew ever more persistent on his body, and he quickly rolled over scooping the trio in his arms. “ _Shh, let’s wait a little longer._ ” He squeezed them to his chest and sighed through his gills as the warm sand soaked into his back.

 

Waves of giddiness emitted from the trio, but their flapping continued, turning into unpleasant slaps from how close he was holding them to his body. They could feel him concede before he even released them, finally growing still as they stared at him expectantly.

 

He pushed himself off the sand until he was upright, shaking the sand from his fins despite the water swirling around them and looking at the guppies with a small smile. “ _Alright. Let’s go._ ”

 

The trio smiled and two took his hands to lead him through the caves as the third pushed insistently at his back. The caves were intricate, but having lived there all his life, they were hardly any challenge to navigate. Nevertheless he allowed the brightly spotted guppies to lead him up to one of the larger caverns where already a mass of mers had begun to congregate. The guppies let him loose and rushed forward to a familiar pair of mers. Hesitantly he swam up to them, trying to push back his anxiety before it could resurface again. This was a special day, and he didn’t need to ruin his friend’s moods with his conflicted feelings.

 

Yuuko was the first to acknowledge him, turning to him with a fond smile and wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace. He could feel waves of assurance and safety emitting from her, and turned his head away from her embrace guiltily.

 

So much for containing his feelings.

 

“ _Yuuko?_ ”

 

She squeezed once more before releasing the hug, but with firm hands still on his shoulders, looking into his eyes with a bright smile. “ _Yes, Yuuri?_ ”

 

He nervously searched her eyes, unsure just what he could ask of his dearest friend. He was scared. He was nervous. But he shouldn’t be, right? Dropping his eyes, he tried to clear his thoughts before he could project what he wanted, and Yuuko squeeze his shoulders quietly. Takeshi was watching on silently. He knew Yuuri was closer to Yuuko than anyone else, so he’d permit the intimacy without any teasing this time which Yuuri was extremely grateful for. He even seemed to be emitting small but firm waves of reassurance, and it helped him clear his thoughts before he projected them.

“ _Yuuko… What if-_ ” he tilted his chin lower, and Yuuko patiently waited for him to finish. “ _What if it works? What if armor really does react to me wearing it?_ ”

 

“ _Oh Yuuri._ ” Yuuko sighed, and rubbed his arms in comfort. “ _The armor hasn’t done anything for centuries. The chances of that happening are really slim ok?_ ” Yuuri looked up to meet her eyes. The were words he knew were true, but there was something solidifying hearing his most trusted friend think them, and he was starting to feel better. “ _Besides, even if it does react, it would be a huge honor!_ ”

 

Yuuri froze, but Yuuko continued. “ _No! I mean really! Imagine how amazing that would be? You’d be able to do so many things Yuuri. Go to so many places we here could only dream of, have only ever heard stories of. Yuuri, you don’t know what some people here would give for that kind of chance!_ ”

 

“ _Yuuko-_ ” Takeshi warned.

 

“ _No, I’m serious Takeshi!_ ” Yuuko looked back from her mate to Yuuri, who was still frozen in her grip. “ _He needs to understand that if it does happen it’s not the end of the world. The opposite in fact!_ ”

 

Takeshi sighed, prying his now overexcited mate from Yuuri and into a crowd, all the while emitting apologies his way. “ _Don’t worry Yuuri, you’ll be great!_ ” Yuuko cheered finally, mentally directing him to his mother was before being dragged away.

 

Yuuri tried to steady the flow of water through his gills, looking upon the groups of his clan who have come to witness the fate of the heir. The ceremony hadn’t started yet, so everyone wasn’t here, but he could feel the excitement in the water. “ _Maybe this year?_ ” “ _Can he change things?_ ” “ _He’s not that big though. If he is chosen he won’t last long._ ” “ _Either way he’s going to be our leader. Best to just deal with it._ ”

 

Yuuri rushed away from the group’s loud thoughts to the cavern he knew his mother would be. They were so loud in their excitement. He knew he was a disappointment. Mari would have been better. He knows this. She should be wearing the armor. Going out into the world, making it a better place for their species. Coming back and leading their growing kingdom with her mate. That’s how it should have been. So why is he affected by his clan’s disappointment? Why couldn’t he take their words without making his hands tremble, his lips bleed from his biting, and stop his fins from flicking in nervousness and guilt? His mother is where the source of his problems are, but he also desperately needed her support. He decided to swim to her quickly and just get it over with already.

 

Hiroko was in a cavern where the clan’s most treasured items were stored. Most of it was in fact actually treasure. There was jewelry, crowns, swords, coins, rubies and the like. Most of it foraged from the ships of land dwellers, and none of it embedded with the magic that mer kind were so famous for. The man made treasures paled in comparison the ancient heirlooms of their ancestral civilization. Hiroko floated in the middle of the mass of treasure, an offering to the most important item in the entire kingdom. Yuuri swam to hover next to her, staring at the item as she was, trying to settle his breaths in the quiet of the moment.

 

Yuuri’s mother curled a warm hand around his elbow, turning to give him the warm smile he adored so much. “ _Are you nervous, my dear Yuuri?_ ”

 

Yuuri nodded.

 

Hiroko’s body shook from her breathy chuckle, patting his back affectionately. “ _Don’t be! There’s nothing to be worried about._ ” To prove her point, she shoved her trident into his arms. Yuuri floundered with it meekly before looking on with confusion. The trident was rather lengthy, and didn’t really suit his mother all that much. But it was custom for it to be wielded by the leader of the clan, and thus she was rarely seen without it. Not to mention hardly anyone else was allowed to touch it. For it to be thrust so suddenly into his arms…

 

Yuuri felt fait. _Oh god this is happening._

 

Hiroko chuckled again, filling her arms with pieces of the thing she was picking from the top of the pile. “ _Your thoughts dear. I can hear them._ ”

 

Yuuri straightened himself, pulling the trident closer to his chest. “ _S-sorry._ ”

 

Hiroko turned to him with a big smile, her arms now filled of whatever that was before nodding to a different direction. “ _No need to be my dear. Now come now. We’re going to take this one step at a time ok?_ ”

 

Yuuri followed her out into a smaller private room near the treasure room. Hiroko started to delicately place the pieces onto a flat surface. “ _O-ok? What’s the first step then?_ ”

 

Hiroko hummed, the pieces of metal forming the shape of a body on the table. It was the pieces of armor, laid out and ready to be assembled onto a body. “ _Well first we’re going to get these cleaned. And then we’ll see if it fits, ok!_ ” She flitted about, pulling some fresh greens that were growing around the room in fist fulls and handing some to Yuuri. Yuuri placed the trident gently against a rock to take the green into his hand. “ _If it doesn’t fit, then that’s that. It’s a start, alright?_ ”

 

Hiroko looked at him so reassuringly, and he could only help but nod. “ _Mm. I can do that._ ”

 

They got to cleaning the armor. It was surprisingly light in his hands. Incredibly light. Hiroko was a strong mer, so Yuuri wasn’t surprised she could carry the pieces so easily in her arms and into another room, but he had never expected it to be this light. It might be a bit awkward, with the unfamiliar bulk on his body, but he was sure he could get used to the weight of it rather quickly. There was that at least.

 

The armor was also accompanied with a leathery like material, a fabric that would go between his skin and the armor, and what what would hold it firmly and against his body. It was soft but sturdy when he tried to stretch it. Whatever it was, he wasn’t sure if it was as old as the armor or not. Either way, he made sure to scrub the fabric as well, removing as much blemish as he could to the relic.

 

The armor itself was deceivingly old looking before the scrub. After some work it began to reveal some of the shine of the metal. It was black, bent and damaged in some places. Whoever last wore it had certainly went through something intense to damage the hard metal, especially if it truly was authentic magic induced mer metal. Some pieces seemed to be missing, but it wasn’t much of a cause for concern. The set didn’t need to be complete to be just what they needed.

 

Yuuri quickly realized, however, that something was very strange about the set. He was staring at the piece that Hiroko was polishing, absentmindedly humming to herself, enjoying the task before feeling Yuuri’s questioning gaze. She lifted the gauntlet for the left hand of the armor set, raising an eyebrow in question. “ _This?_ ”

 

Yuuri nodded. “ _Why is it…_ ”

 

“ _Silver?_ ”

 

Yuuri nodded again, and Hiroko shrugged, continuing to polish the now shimmering silver gauntlet. “ _We don’t know. It’s always been with these other pieces, and no black one was ever found, so it’s probably meant to be here._ ”

 

Yuuri’s gut twisted in magnetism, his eyes caught in the shimmer as Hiroko moved it around in her hands. “ _It might belong to another suit of armor, but no one has ever found it, and no one foreign mer has ever came to claim it._ ”

 

Yuuri nodded, his mind elsewhere. Why does it feel so… familiar.

 

Hiroko placed it down onto the rock again with a huff, admiring their work and pulling Yuuri out of his daze. “ _There. Looks like that’s as good as we can get it for now. Are you ok with moving on to step one._ ”

 

He hesitated for only a moment before nodding. Step one. Just one step. He could do this.

 

Delicately Hiroko started to strap the armor to his body. Most of the pieces they had shielded his back. There was a large piece with a metal dorsal fin that fitted right against his upper spine, pieces of armor connecting the overlapping plates that traveled down his length, down, down to the base where his tail met his caudal fin. Yuuri was so focused on getting it on properly that he had yet to notice yet how well everything fit.

 

There was more armor for his arms and shoulders, the black pieces coming together snuggly. The right gauntlet slid over his hand smoothly, sharp metal fingers intimidating but fascinating around his hand, and he flexed his fingers, perplexed by the action.

 

The silver gauntlet slid over his left a little too smoothly, and when he flexed his fingers in it it felt looser than the other. Bigger. Unfit. Perhaps it really was from another set of armor. But Yuuri didn’t seem to have it in himself to find that disappointing. The piece left a warmth on his skin where it would graze him, and he found himself paying the most attention to adjusting that piece than the rest.

 

Hiroko noticed his fumbling as some kind of discomfort and pulled at his hand to adjust the tightness of straps wherever she could before releasing his hand again. Yuuri swung his arm around and clenched his fingers. _Still a little loose. But it’ll stay on._

 

“ _Good._ ” Hiroko sighed softly, before floating a bit away from him.

 

Yuuri reached for the rock slab for his helmet, the last piece left to slip it over his head, but his armored hand found nothing. There wasn’t a helmet on the table, and Yuuri shook his head in confusion. He could have sworn there was a helmet?

 

“ _Yuuri._ ” His mother brought his attention back to her, her voice serious. She was giving his armor a stern once over, checking the fitting with a keen eyes. Yuuri looked down on himself. Most of the armor covered the rear of his body, but his chest and lower front were uncomfortably exposed. He doubted that there wasn’t supposed to be more pieces to the set, and while the mystery was riveting to ponder, his pelvic fins twitched nervously over how exposed half of him was.

 

“ _Yuuri._ ” Hiroko called again, this time eyes meeting his. “ _It fits._ ”

 

His body stilled as his mind tried to grasp what she meant. It fits? Of course it fits. It was perfect and snug and light and felt great on his body. He just needed the rest and his helmet. But then…

 

Yuuri shook his head as his mind got ahead of himself. Wait… how did he end up being so comfortable like this. Sure it fit but that just meant a whole lot of trouble for him later. Maybe he could lie about it fitting and just beg Mari to rule already. She would be perfect for it. To rule. Perfect to rule. Not for the armor though. She was larger than he was, and she might be able to strap it on even, but it wouldn’t shield her so perfectly as it did he. No, the armor was only perfect for him.

 

Shaking fingers raked through his head as he tried to manage his thoughts. Where was he going with this? Did he actually want this to happen?

 

Small hands pulled his armored ones from his hair, gentle calming waves coming to his mind as Hiroko smiled softly to his son. “ _It’s alright dear. It’ll be alright. Let’s get to step two ok? Everyone’s waiting for us now._ ”

 

Yuuri lets the waves wash into him with eagerness, letting Hiroko lead him gently from the room and towards the large cavern where he had left Yuuko earlier. At some point Hiroko grabbed the trident in one hand and she gently ushered her son with the other.

 

Step two. The ceremony. Of course. He was going to be inaugurated, and Hiroko was going to bestow him the trident once and for all.

 

The thoughts of the clan, his people, _his_ people began rushing into him.

 

“ _Woah! It’s so dark!_ ” “ _Wait, is that really our Yuuri?_ ” “ _He looks kinda dangerous._ ” “ _Maybe it really is going to happen._ ”

 

The excitement was overwhelming, and Yuuri did the best he could to focus on his mother as she lead them to the head of the crowd where his father and sister floated proudly. Mari winked when he caught her eye, and she smirked goodnaturedly.

 

“ _Looking good, little bro._ ”

 

Yuuri huffed and turned away from her and to the crowd. Mari was pretty nonchalant for someone who was supposed to be in his position, but he couldn’t really find it in him to hold anything against her. She was happy with her mate, as she probably should be. And he was going to rule in her stead, fitted in a snug suit of armor as though he always should be. Was always fated to. His left arm twitches from a small spark.

 

Yuuri drowns out Hiroko and Toshiya’s speech as he tries to ignore the now overeager audience, and it’s only when Mari elbows his side that he realizes that he is supposed to bow in front of clan leader.

 

His mother says the words, and Yuuri repeats them obediently.

 

“ _I, Yuuri of the Clan of Katsuki, promise to uphold my oath to my clan, to my kingdom, and to the civilizations of Atlantis, to protect them from harm and ensure everlasting grown and prosperity to my people._ ”

 

The obsidian trident lays flat on her palms, and she bows ceremoniously to place it in Yuuri’s upward armored hands.

 

The reaction is instantaneous.

 

The moment the trident hits the metal of his hands, a spark shoots through his body, the jolt reflexing his hands into tight fists around the object. The sparks in his palms switch to searing heat, the trident lighting up bright orange as the heat extends from his palms to the sharp tips of the lengthy spear.

 

If there were screams from the thickening heat of the room, Yuuri didn't hear them. There was only a muffled buzz of thoughts him, clearly in a disarray over the sudden reaction. None of these mers have ever felt the very real presence of magic, and it was becoming overwhelming for all of them.

 

To Yuuri, his hold was smelting but not painful. His mind slowly seeping in the bombarding excited and panicked thoughts, but even then he found himself profoundly distracted.

 

The connection of him, the armor, and the trident were giving him focus to only one thing. The armor was alive. It’s magic was old and faded, but it wasn’t entirely gone. It craved to be whole like a body would. It is a part of his body, and it was telling him where the rest of it was through a connection. The rest is out there. It exists and it is waiting for them to get it. It wants to be whole. To be complete once again. And the trident would get them there.

 

Legend says that mer armor is connected to a mer on a magically spiritual level. Each piece becomes a part of the mers body. It was a special, crucial part of the forging process. To maximize the power of the armor it must be connected to the mer in the most intimate way possible. It is for this reason that the mer and their armor can locate the other pieces even if it's stolen or missing.

 

All mer armor came from Atlantis, and when Atlantis was destroyed most of it went with it.

 

But if his pieces still exist, and if they’re out there, then maybe it’s…

 

Yuuri shakes the thoughts from his head, holding on tightly to the glowing trident. He felt as though it would fly off on it’s own, in the direction of his missing armor and possibly the lost city, and brought it as close as he could towards his chest.

 

He could hardly believe what he was seeing, what he was feeling. The sparks of magic, and the deep rooted desire in the back of his brain to swim as fast as he could in whatever direction the trident pointed him. To leave the only home he’d ever known in a blind quest to make himself whole. He could only describe it as overwhelming, and it wasn’t until the loud, piercing thoughts of Yuuko right beside him that he realized he had stopped breathing at the impact of it all.

 

Yuuri heaved his chest to let the water through his gills again and clear his vision. Yuuko was next to him, not daring to touch the heat of his armor and trident in his arms, and there was a conflicted smile on her face.

 

“ _Yuuri! Can you hear me?_ ”

 

Yuuri blinked. “ _Ah... Yes._ ”

 

“ _Oh thank gosh._ ” She smiled in relief. “ _You really did it huh! Now tell me mister, why do you feel kind of excited._ ”

 

Yuuri blinked again. Was he? “ _Oh. Maybe I am._ ”

 

Yuuko chuckled and shook her head. “ _So maybe you did listen._ ” She mumbled mostly to herself before looking behind him to where the crowd was and grimaced. He could feel their presence dissipating. Where they being led away?

 

“ _Yuuri,_ ” she started slowly, looking back to him sadly. “ _You have to leave. The people are begging you to go._ ”

  
“ _They’re begging?_ ” he asked incredulously. 

 

Yuuko nodded sadly. " _They're desperate._ " She turned to look at the heated blurry water around his form, specifically the glowing trident in his arms that ceased to emit smoldering heat. " _And scared. Yuuri... will you be alright?_ "

 

He couldn't really think of a proper response. His instincts were telling him yes, you have to go. This is your chance to leave this place and do what you need to do. On the other hand this was all too quick. He didn't even know what kind of magic even was happening, and if he would be even able to control it.

 

In the end though, the urge was too strong.

 

" _I have to go._ " Yuuri said to Yuuko. Then turned to his parents, who were holding each other not far from him, with Mari at their side. They were nervous, afraid for him, sad because of what he had to do. He sent then as calming waves as he could, giving them each a fond smile. He would miss them dearly. " _I have to go._ "

 

His family nodded, and he lifted himself upright, his left hand still holding the trident as he pushed forward to an entrance he knew would lead him the surface.

 

He turned back to his family once more, giving them the bravest smile he could muster, then let the trident guide him into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Facts:  
> This planet is mostly water and is not in any way similar to our Earth.  
> Mers have developed to have shorter lifespans than their ancestors (which were hundreds of years).  
> All mers are *intersex. You can decide what they physically look like.  
> Gender doesn't exist. Family roles do, such as sibling mother father etc. But it's never gendered.  
> All mers are socially equal, excluding the roles they hold in individual families or when concerning the head protective family.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is a pacifist, a fighter, and a survivor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats all your soulmate aus are offically cannon! God bless based Kubo-sensei!!!  
> Will try to update every week but please be patient because I have a life (JK I don't but I'm still busy)

It doesn’t take long for Yuuri to realize he’d gotten himself lost. A fatigue unlike any other had forced him switch his grip of the heated metal of the trident into his right hand, and with the loss of contact with the magic induced armor the heat faded and with it most of the magnetic pull towards his destination. It was as though his vision had cleared, making out the wide expanse of ocean with no familiarity of where he was and where his journey began. The guilt began to eat him alive. His mind was so goal oriented he didn’t even think to talk to his family properly or to prepare. He didn’t even think to look back at his home of however many years, at the deceivingly small coral reef that hid the expanse of his kingdom down below.

His mind swam with thoughts of the possibility of him ever returning. Successful or not he had to eventually. His absence did not invalidate the very real inauguration he had underwent just hours before. Or was it days? He hadn’t paid enough attention to notice, but from his tired body he’d been swimming for a while.

The journey at least kept him as far below the surface as possible, keeping his exposed underside protected and in water pressures similar to his home. Light was almost nonexistent down here, only the orange glow of his once heated trident and the faint luminesce of his tail to keep him grounded. Looking up he could make out the faintest hints of natural light- of the moons or suns he wasn’t sure. Surfacing to try to gain his bearings was essential -  despite the taboo around breaching or being near the surface in general - it _was_ an emergency. He'd decided finding his way back home should be his priority. His people and his family depended on him, and he would not fail them by not returning at all, despite wherever his journey would take him.

Yuuri held his trident close to his chest, his tired body curled against a dark formation of rocks that blended with his armor and scales nicely. His luminesse tail was never an issue living in the large expanse of caves mainly inhabited by mers and harmless creatures no bigger than the smallest of them. But out in the open water the light he emitted made him uncomfortably nervous. Already he had spotted some large indescribable forms lurking up above, and with no good judge for distance he just couldn’t guess just how big they really were.

His encounters with other large creatures were few and far between, having not ventured farther than the reef with only a handful of expeditions to explore shipwrecks that more adventurous mers had come across. Their family had become familiar to only one migrating pod of leathery tusked creatures that visited their reef every other year. His mother recounted the story of when one of the pod’s younglings had themselves entangled in a net of land dweller origin, the harsh rope scraping the poor creature’s skin painfully and making it weak. Against the colony’s better judgement, Hiroko had braved approaching the terrifyingly large and agitated creatures to free the youngling, slicing through the tightrope as delicately as possible with her trident.

To her amazement and to the other mers the creatures exhibited an incredible intelligence. Her approach was met with apprehension certainly, but once the youngling was free the pod expressed their gratitude with gentle nudges and songs that vibrated harmoniously through the water. By the time Yuuri was old enough to venture out of the caves, the colony had been able to distinguish some of the language of the pods clicks and humming. Yuuri was astonished by the size of the creatures, the largest having eyes easily the size of his own guppy body. Yuuri had known this firsthand because Hiroko had introduced him to the pod leader herself, holding him close as she brought him right up to the creature’s massive head. The eye followed his hand as it rested onto the soft leathery skin to rub it gently.

A loud hum had reverberated through the water and Hiroko chuckled. “ _She likes you, Yuuri._ ”

Other mers had joined their party to greet the pod, clicks and hums of greeting while the mers petted and groomed the friendly creatures. The creatures in turn nudged and licked, blowing out bubbles of air from holes at the crests of their heads for mers to playfully swim through.

Hiroko had introduced him to one other creature that day, one of them lesser in size and visible scars adorning its body. Despite their appearance it was incredibly playful, spinning circles of bubbles for Yuuri to swim through, nudging him affectionately and letting him pet his tongue and teeth that Yuuri found gross but cool anyway. It was when the creature began dragging Yuuri across the reef - Yuuri with a tight hold on it’s dorsal fin as it let him ride it joyfully - that Hiroko had to separate the two lest it take him half across the ocean.

As Yuuri looked up into the ocean now, he wondered if it was possible that it was his longtime friend up there, migrating to where his family was, eager to see him again. He wondered if this time he could take hold of their fin and let them take him across the ocean like they almost had before. At least then he wouldn't be lost. At least then he wouldn’t be alone.

But as he stared, the daunting silhouette was void of any singing, and that kept him firmly place until the mysterious creatures had long since swam away and vanished into the darkness.

When he braved to move, darting towards the surface in an almost panicked frenzy, it became clear that the lights from above were from moonlight, the stars bright and abundant, and most importantly familiar. As he looked at them now he remembered distinct patterns, dotted lines that formed shapes his kingdom hand grown familiar with. They were the same stars carefully etched into the caves of his home for study. A pattern he recognized made the form of a mer with a trident pointing upwards towards a cluster of stars he had yet to map but was familiar with anyway. The direction of home. He had been swimming in the opposite direction of the trident, and if he were to turn around he’d make it back for sure.

Just to be certain he dipped back into the deepest depths of the ocean in the opposite direction. Denying the pull made his stomach twist, but he ignored it. It didn’t take long for him to come across a rockwall dipping into a dark trench. He had seen one end of the trench before. It splintered the ocean right up against the reef of his home, and if he’d follow it in the right direction it would lead him right back to his kingdom. He had found his road home.

But he couldn’t return. Not yet.

This time - with an iron grip on the internal compass of his mind - he headed back into the direction he came. He didn’t dare ignite his trident again. The pull was still insistent, metal fully active or not, and the glow was too distracting when heated. Instead he settled for swimming dark silence, ignoring the homesickness that had already seized his heart.

* * *

Yuuri made temporary homes in the environments he’d come by when he’d grow too tired or too bored of traveling.

Thankfully the direction of the pull didn’t seem to change, and Yuuri wasn’t sure why he expected otherwise. It wasn’t like a lost city could move - legendary or not - and that kept him oriented and comfortable enough to stop and rest when his body needed it.

The direction always brought him to shallower waters as well. The ocean, instead of the black thick darkness he was familiar with, had became a crisp blue with so many colors he’d so rarely seen properly in the dark.

His current home was an shipwreck he had come across when scouting for a place to rest. It was infested with creatures he’d recognized as fish eaters, and while they were easily his size, if not a little bit larger, they were pretty docile, preferring to hunt the smaller fishes that hid between rocks and crevices of the ship. Any curious nibbles were warded off with a firm smack to the nose with the end of his trident, and most learned not to test him by trying again.

He hadn’t found the need to use his powers on any creatures yet, having great luck at evading and hiding thus far, but that still didn’t mean he didn’t test his abilities when he found the time to do so.

While he recognized the black obsidian armor as his own, the only magic he felt and could interact with came from the foreign silver gauntlet of his left arm. It needed direct contact with the trident in order to heat the metal and water around him, but otherwise it calmly seeped magic. Yuuri tried willing it to stop, fearing it would grow dull like the rest of his armor, but the piece didn’t seem to comply to even his wishes, softly gushing out a steady stream of magic. Even removing the piece had no effect, and Yuuri had long since given up trying to control it after that.

The best he could do was to keep contact away from the trident and the gauntlet. As much as he feared being alone and out in open water - sticking out like a sore thumb in his now out of place dark camouflage - he didn’t really want to hurt anyone. If he found a creature that could communicate, he would try his best to talk his way through the situation. But if they were as silent as the fish eaters, he would try his best to avoid confrontation through body language, and a good poke and shove did wonders for his personal space. And while the heat never seemed to harm him - even with the orange metal right up against his soft skin - he knew the same could not be said for the life around him so he did his best with the methods he’d acquired.

Once he had allowed the magic to flow through his trident heating up the black metal into an orange glow and grazed it across different surfaces to gage the affect. To his horror it sliced through the side of a ship with ease, shattering coral and other brittle formations upon contact. Larger rocks sizzled, bubbling up the water but refusing to be cut. Yuuri tried to at least piercing the formation, but stopped when he realized he had overheated the area to the point where fish were darting around in a panic. Quickly he cooled the metal, trying not to think about what would happened had he continued, or worse, if he tested the metal against something living.

As one final experiment he had run the heated tips of the spear through some sand, marveling at the molten pieces it left behind. When cooled the once soft sand had melted together into sharp pieces which Yuuri decided to collect. They were small and more manageable than the large trident he figured, and took to strapping the large weapon against his body with abandoned rope whilst he brandished the newly sharpened glass he forged.

Finding food was another task that he surprisingly found he enjoyed. At his home they tended to eat greens and the small shelled creatures that adorned the cavern walls, but Yuuri couldn’t always find those kinds of things while he traveled, and would often gambled with what he could eat. He started by eating what he saw other smaller fish eat before hunger had him trying to eat the fish themselves like the carnivores around him. It took some practice, observing the fish eaters as they hunted and studying their methods.

The fish eaters took to trapping their prey in their hiding holes, digging their heads inside hoping to snag them with their teeth. Yuuri could do no such thing - the rocks were too sharp and jagged for him to hunt safely. But unlike the fish eaters, he was quick, and could turn on the dime just like the fleeing fish could. As the fish eaters hunted he watched carefully, and any fish that managed to worm their way through the rocks and from the sharp jaws of death found themselves chased by a desperate starving mer. He didn’t have time to feel bad for the fish as he sank his teeth into flesh, killing them instantly. He was too hungry, and he pulled the soft clumps of meat with his teeth, swallowing gratefully. Any sharp pricks he received from the fish’s spiny fins were worth the fullest of his stomach.

When he had realized that yes, he could eat like this, he tried preparing his meals differently. Fish that he couldn’t swallow whole were sliced delicately. He didn’t prefer the mushy insides, and was content with the fish eaters taking those scraps. He also chucked the fish heads, the glossy eyes making him uncomfortable and all in all not enjoying the crunch when he took a curious bite around it. Finally he took the time to scrape off the scales on the flesh. The scales sprinkled the ocean floor and made the water cloud up, but he prefered the mess of the task than getting scales stuck between his teeth again.

All that was left was the soft flesh of their bellies, easy to chew and sliding down his throat smoothly. It was delicious and Yuuri loved it immensely. Loved it more than the fluorescent greens he tended to eat at home. But his mother had insisted it was good for his growth and wellbeing, so Yuuri made sure to eat them still whenever he could find it. Sometimes he ate them together with the fish, and that experience alone gave Yuuri guilty thoughts of making his stay permanent.

He couldn’t though. Wouldn’t. But maybe just another week longer. Yes, just another week to fill up before another undoubtedly long and tiring journey. Just another week and he’d be gone.

Those were his thoughts up until the day he made his way back to the shipwreck with a sudden revelation. The suns were high and the waters were pleasantly warm. And yet he could feel the seasons changing, instinctively anticipating the inevitable rush of cold water through the currents and knew from their continuous interaction that the fish eaters could feel it too. The anticipation made them clear out, heading off in large groups in directions unknown. There were enough for him to forage with for the day, a net tied at his waist filled with cleaned fish to bring home, but the loss of hunting partners was going to make finding food difficult. Not only that, but the fish were disappearing quickly. Perhaps it was the fish that had left, and the fish eaters who soon followed.

He’d decided it would be a problem for later, instead making for the side of the shipwreck where a large rock punctured the hull wide enough for a stream of creatures to swim through. He pulled his trident closer anyway, having had far too many times for it to bump into the ship and yank him back painfully.

His current home was a cubby in the very depth of the ship. It reminded him of the dark caverns of his kingdom, and he had decorated it with any shiny trinkets he could find amongst the various lost land dweller things. Amongst them he found a small silver trident shaped utensil, and had for the better part of the evening examining it. Land dwellers didn’t wield tridents, did they? Were land dwellers actually smaller than he imagined? Had this thing also have magic in it, or was it always so dull and lifeless? When Yuuri had snapped it in half from fiddling with it for a while he decided to finally chuck it out and away from his cubby.

If he couldn’t find answers, then there was no point in dwelling on the nature of land dwellers anyway. Actually, it was much better to forget the beings that had drived his species to near extinction altogether. He didn’t think there was much chance of him ever encountering them anyway, and if so he vowed to maintain as much distance as possible. As much as he found he enjoyed exploring and fulfilling curiosity, he valued his life much more than doing anything stupid like interacting with a land dweller.

Speaking of survival, he’d have to move on soon. The cold wasn’t an issue as much as it usually would be, but fish were going to become scarce soon and it was best to just leave before he got to attached to his little cubby of nice silver, warmth, and food.

 _Who am I kidding_ , Yuuri thought as he snuggled into the soft wooden walls of his cubby, _I already don’t want to leave_. If he closed his eyes and focused on the darkness, the warmth, he could almost trick himself into believing he was back home.

* * *

The morning of he woke up anxious with no idea as to why. For the first time in a long time he felt lost, uncomfortable to the point where he needed to swim out into the open for fresher water. The cool temperatures were welcomed for once, dulling the painful pangs of the headache he’d given himself from waking so abruptly and in a panic. His orientation was still askew - it was as though his balance was suddenly tilted on it’s axis with no warning or explanation.

Whatever comfort he felt the night before was long gone by the time he was fully awake, and he decided that he needed to leave as soon as he could. Shakily he packed his few belongings into the tiny net of his waist - the shards of glass he found useful as well as some trinkets from the ship and some shells he thought Yuuko might like once he returned home. With that he swam out into the the ocean into the direction he knew his goal would be, giving only one last parting glance to where his few hunting partners were foraging. As scary as they were, he’d grown kind of fond of the creatures and would miss them terribly. Perhaps he’d make another stay on his way back, if only for a little bit.

Disoriented but well rested, he let the pull guide him through the water for a several long hours, paying no real mind to his surroundings and letting his thoughts drift. Before he knew it he was back in open water, a dark abyss below him and suns high in the sky. Except they were in the wrong spot. They were supposed to rise and set at a different angle, but their rotations were off. Was he lost?

 _No no no no_ , Yuuri’s mind raced as he neared the surface. He couldn’t be lost. He had been so careful, taking only the most direct paths he could as he traveled. It was literally impossible for him to get lost, could it?

He traveled a little longer near the surface, towards the pull and watched the movement of the suns closely.

There was no mistaking it. The pattern had changed. He was lost.

Yuuri breached the surface, looking around for any kind of formations that he might find familiar, but all he could find was miles of ocean all around. Even the tiny glimpses of land he’d seen from his shipwreck home were long gone.

He continued to search for as long as his gills would allow him, before dipping back into the ocean for a much needed gulp of water.

 _It will be alright. Everything will be ok my dear_ , a voice so similar to his own mother’s echoed in his mind. There was no possible way it could be her - much too far for the mental connection to reach - but he let his imagination sooth him anyway. He needed a more experienced mer to help him. He had never traveled so far before, and had no idea what the right course of action he should take.

What would Hiroko do?

 _Backtrack_ , his mother told him. _Go back to your fish eater friends, then follow the path back home. There’s no shame in returning for help, my dear Yuuri._

Turning back was surprisingly easy. The pull was forgiving, no longer twisting his stomach and making him want to hurl. It lessened his guilt, and he found himself happy to be going back, eager to see his family and friends again. He had seen so many things since he left. Eaten so many things. He couldn’t wait to share all he knew with them.

He was swimming straight back in the opposite direction of the pull when the suddenly the direction swiftly changed. Yuuri paused his swimming, hovering in disbelief near the surface.

It _moved_. And fast.

Was he closer than thought? Or was the pull, the mysterious intangible sensation, always a fluke to begin with? Was he chasing after nothing all this time?

Yuuri’s head dropped in his hands, and blocked his view of the large body rapidly racing towards him from down below.

* * *

He was above the water. Somehow his body was over the surface. His chest and head had smacked painfully on something hard and rough and when he looked down below he was already a good 20 feet in the air.

Something had tugged on his tail _hard_ , and the force had pulled his entire body with it. Before he could think, he was thrown down again with another hard smack, this time the force pulling something in his spine and pain surged through him. He was back in the water, and the rough body he was strung against was moving, pulling him forward.

The grip around his tail loosened a fraction, and Yuuri almost though that whatever had him had decided to let him loose, but instead it sucked in water, surging forward and bringing his tail further into what Yuuri now knew was the ceature's jaws.

It was a fish eater, and the largest one he had ever seen. It’s body was easily four or five times his length, and Yuuri knew the ratio meant it was strong enough to pull him apart with ease. The only reason he still had his lower half was that the creature had struck him straight from below, teeth snagged on the corners where his armor hugged his form. The creature may not have been able to pierce him just yet, but the squeeze wasn’t any less painful. If he would not be shredded alive, he would surely be crushed just as well.

To make matters worse, he knew exactly what would come next.

Wriggling away was no use. If anything, moving meant letting the rows of teeth slide closer towards the soft flesh of his underbelly, and already he could feel them scraping against his sides and fins, clouding the water with his blood.

His hands scrambled for purchase against the rough skin, frantically clawing at where he thought it’s eyes would be.

He was almost sure he had found them when the creature started to thrash him back and forth, just like he’d seen it done so many times before. The creature’s hold would slip if it continued on like this. It’s teeth would sink into his flesh and he’d be done for, eaten and lost to the sea, just like he'd come to fear.

The harsh jerking ignited the pain in his spine as well, and his vision spotted from the agony. He had almost given up when he heard a snap from his waist.

His trident. The rope he had used to secure it around him had been seared away by the creature's teeth, and it was off his back and over his head. He could grab it. He just had to reach out…

The trashing continued, and with it the hold of the trident loosened, slipping quickly and dangerously from his body. He had to grab it before he lost it for good. It was his last hope.

The last of the trident had slipped off his shoulder, and he made one final ditch effort to snatch the end of it, but the creature trashed wildly again, and his palm smacked uselessly on the end before his fingers could wrap around it.

Yuuri squeezed his eyes closed in despair, giving out a cry as his last hope of ever returning home disappeared into the darkness.

The creature trashed again, and Yuuri let it, his body flailing uselessly before fingertips slipped onto something smooth. His fingers clenched around it quickly, hoping to steady his body on anything and make his death any less painful.

The water erupted with heat, both him and creature froze in shock.

It was his trident. Somehow amidst the thrashing his hands had bumped into the end of it, igniting the cool metal and warming the water almost instantaneously. He was so sure it was lost, falling far beyond his reach long before let himself succumb to his own death.

But it was in his hands now, and Yuuri wasn’t going to question it. The metal was already a bright orange, and with what little remorse he left for the creature he slapped the length of it right into the creature's side.

The rough skin was useless against the smelting metal. He hadn’t even pierced the creature with it head on, but the spear sank into flesh just as well.

Immediately the fish eater let him loose, writhing around in pain. Blood and burnt flesh clouded the water and Yuuri breathed in the disgusting muck before he could close his mouth. Even then, with his teeth clenched shut to keep from hurling, the muck seeped in his gills and he emptied his stomach into the mess.

The fish eater was injured - fatally or not he couldn’t tell - but it wasn’t done with him yet.

When he was done hurling it came at him again, quick and frenzied as though it’s life depended on it. By now it was a wonder if hunger, anger, or fear drove it to strike Yuuri again.

This time Yuuri was prepared, and while his sides and spine ached painfully at the smallest twitch of his muscles, he didn't dare let it hinder his speed. He had become far too practiced darting around catching fish to be caught, although he never imagined being the one chased rather than doing the chasing.

As he'd thought fish eater was nowhere near as flexible as he was, it’s turns slow and sluggish as it gave chase. While it couldn’t quite get it’s teeth around him again, they managed to always just barely graze his body and was much too close for comfort. Yuuri took to taking short leaps over the surface, flipping away from it’s grasp just barley every time.

He realized too late the fish eater's intention's were to tire him. His flip fell short, torso bumping into the creature’s snout and disrupting the angle of his dive. His body landed painfully onto the creature's back and flopped against its fin before rolling awkwardly back into the ocean.

His attacker wasted none as it was is back on him again, this time with Yuuri unarmed. The flop knocked the trident from his grasp yet again, and Yuuri couldn’t find an opening to take a blind dive for it.

The loss of heat seemed to give the fish eater courage as its attacks grew faster and stronger while Yuuri’s flips became smaller and shorter. He couldn’t keep it up forever. He’d have to get his trident back even if the dive would surely kill him. It was the only thing that would stop the creature’s frenzy.

Yuuri was shoved before he could breach the water again, the fish eater’s snout punched against his chest and jaws snapped at him for some kind of purchase. He was dragged across the surface again, and from there he could see the nasty gash around it’s face where he had clawed earlier, it’s eyes blown fully into a black frenzy. It was no use, the creature was too far gone for it to be stopped.

Yuuri raised his silver gauntlet, ready to bring it down to the creature’s good eye in what would hopefully be a finishing blow.

Suddenly the creature jerked violently and stilled it’s assault at his body. Yuuri took the opening as it was and dived immediately, down and away from the jaws that nearly had him once again. This was his chance to dive for his trident!

The creature didn’t follow him however, and Yuuri paused in his dive to chance a look over his shoulder.

He gaped in shock at his trident, no longer glowing but very much _his_ , was lodged inside the creature’s belly.

Said creature was still jerking, from pain and confusion of the protruding object. After a few breathless moments it stilled, it’s only movements from where the gentle waves of the surface brushed against its dorsal.

It felt like an eternity that Yuuri stared at the fallen beast. The trident had pierced it deeply, the wound seeping heavily with blood. Yuuri’s own body throbbed and ached, and when he realized this he knew he was much too tired to fend off anything again anytime soon. The water around them was now tinted with blood amongst other things, and now an entire corpse. It would attract others creatures soon. Soon he wouldn’t be alone.

Yuuri braved approaching the large body slowly, watching for any signs of life and movement. Now that it wasn’t chasing him, Yuuri got to admire the grand size of the beast, much larger than he had originally thought. The large jaws were slack and seeping blood, and Yuuri tried not to think about how he had been trapped in them only moments earlier.

Yuuri took hold of his trident with both hands, fully intending giving it a harsh tug to pull it free. The end had just begun to heat when the creature suddenly sprung to life, large fins and tail smacking Yuuri aside as it sprinted in away and into the ocean with the trident still lodged in it’s belly.

“ _Wait!_ ” Yuuri called to the dying creature. He needed his weapon to survive, but the creature was disappearing much too quickly for him to give chase.

Yuuri’s hands reached out to the shape that trailed blood, and suddenly his left arm locked in placed.

He looked down at his armor, but nothing was touching him. And yet it felt as though something was holding it still in the water, tight in it’s grip. Yuuri panicked and yanked his arm down. He felt something let loose, and the grip released.

The retreating shape stilled, the trident once deep in it’s belly falling down into the dark again. Yuuri raised a tired hand to it, the spear jolting at the motion. Before Yuuri could process what he had done the spear came whizzing back through the blood glazed water, right back at him.

With comedic ease it was back in Yuuri's hands once again, the metal igniting eagerly at the touch of his armor.

A million and one thoughts raced thoughts his mind. Disbelief, pain, despair, fear, pain, panic, throbbing pain.

  
And with most of his vision consumed by the spots growing in his eyes he knew didn't have time to process any of it.

Instead he raced from the surface, found the closest hollow rock opening he could find, shoved his tiny frame into it before his mind promptly relinquished itself to the darkness and promptly passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really really wanted to introduce Viktor this chapter! But I wanted to post something soon so! Definitely next chapter!  
> At the very least this means I'll get right to writing up the next one. Hopefully! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Fun Facts: I'd imagine the pod that visits Yuuri's home are like orcas, or maybe some kind of whale species. The fish eaters are probably sharks, but they could very well be some kind of Subnautica level of monstrosities. Have fun with your imaginations~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri has a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have excuses. But no one ever wants to hear excuses.
> 
> This is half of the chapter I've been working on, but I'm too tired to edit the second half.  
> Expect the rest of it tomorrow.

_ Mari was the first to find him when he had heard the news. _

 

_ It took a while as he wasn’t in his usual spot. The motions of the hot currents in the depths of their home is what usually calmed him, lulling him with soft distracting motions, but Yuuri just couldn't find it in himself to want that. Wanting to avoid the truth would be likened to admitting that he disapproved of his sister, and that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Instead he hid in Yuuko’s older chambers where she and Takeshi had cared for the triplets before they grew and began to swim properly. _

 

_The duo were the only ones with strict access to the specialty room, and everybody knew. It was common among their folk that they had been fiercely protective of the space that housed their vulnerable clutch, but when Yuuri braved letting himself enter to and ensure the pair hadn't neglected themselves as they so often did - enamored with their new little family - their trust in letting him approach was unlikened to anything else, and it was Yuuri's greatest honor that they had let him do so. Large clutches like theirs weren’t uncommon in their kind of merfolk, but to have more than two actually develop into the guppy stage was not, and Yuuri knew the two couldn’t be more happy with the development._

 

_ Whether it be their success or the demanding attention of the brood needed didn’t matter, just that the two had been very worn and tired once the whole ordeal had ended. Yuuko claimed - once she and Takeshi were able minded enough to let their children go far without their supervision - that it was because of his help that they were blessed to have three healthy guppies. Yuuri however knew that it was because of their dedication, and he had told her so. He could still distinctly remembered when the two had met during in their own guppy stages, determined on having a dozen or so as soon as they were able. Yuuri was sure the feeling wouldn’t change into their adulthood, and he knew they were just as pleased with the three guppies they had managed to raise, with many more clutched planned for their future. _

 

_And it was because of this that he had grown so accustomed to the room, long after the family was strong enough to move away and into the larger colony. It was still a room the family used to store their miscellaneous things, and Yuuri often found himself retreating to hide amongst the family treasures or to marvel at the new finds that the triplets were often eager to share with him._

 

_ And it was here that Mari found him, fondling with a broken shell while lying on his back as he stared at the domed ceiling, trying to wrap his mind around the news that was just revealed to him and what it meant for his and his sister’s future. _

 

_ It was a changing point for both of them, something that would shake the course of their fates so dramatically that he knew his sister didn’t make the decision lightly. He knew Mari, his one and only clutch mate who he’d been closer to than anyone else since the beginning of his being, that she would not do him wrong just to avoid responsibility. _

 

_ She cared too much for him to do that, being only moments older and already developing a strong sense of responsibility as an elder sibling would. His parents had told them that the moment he had arrived from his own egg that they had grasped each other so tightly it was though their lives depended on it, mirrored blue with golden luminescent ringed tails intertwined with one another. Their eyes hadn’t even opened yet. Mari had not released him until his tiny sobs leveled out into whimpers, bodies finally adjusting to the cool water outside their eggs and the slightly less warmer feel of another mer around him. _

 

_The irony was that the two had grown to dislike the touch, Yuuri feeling claustrophobic far too quickly and Mari preferring small, minuscule gestures that hid her passions under a cool visage._

 

_ And that is why Mari approached him delicately. He could feel her trying to pinpoint his state of mind at the moment, but he knew that, despite how bad he was at containing his thoughts and emotions, that he had turned up a blank. The normal anxiety that had so often tinged his mind that it practically branded his personality had faded into numbness, and Yuuri felt that he couldn’t really  feel an opinion on the lack of feeling, only continue to stare at the ceiling during Mari’s slow approach. _

 

_ It did however surprise him a little when two gentle hands lifted his head softly, only to place it down on the softness of a tail rather than back on the hard floor. Mari leaned back on one hand, the other resting against his forehead, discreetly but not discreetly enough as she tried once again to check on the state of his mind. _

 

“ Hey kid… You alright? ” _ Mari asked when he knew her findings were suspiciously blank. Her fingers only laid against his skin, but they didn’t dare slick through his dark locks as they so easily could. _

 

_ Yuuri had hummed absentmindedly in response, his own hands still mapping around the edges of the broken shell, fingers teasing the sharp edges with small bits of pressure. Was this one of the triplet’s toys, or once from something that had crawled inside for sanctuary like he did? He didn’t know or really cared to, but what he did know was that he didn’t have a mind for either of the feelings, his sister’s fingers on his head or his own on the shell. They were just small things for his body to focus on whilst his mind wandered. To where he didn’t know yet, but once he did, he was sure his sister would know. _

 

_ Mari’s tail however was an entirely different distraction, the strong muscles moving from under where he laid. She was waving it in an uncomfortable shifting manor, and Yuuri turned to look down the length of it. _

 

_ She was of the same clutch as he was, but she had shaped up so differently from his own smaller form. Already longer, wider, and the rings that were once so prominent on both their bodies had mostly faded into the dark blue of hers. A sign of maturity. Adulthood. Unlike Yuuri’s own body, who was still freckled with gold with still a ways to go. It was like even his own body knew his mind was not ready. But Mari’s was, apparently. _

 

“ Who are they? ” _ was what he heard, and it took him a moment to realize that it was his own mind that projected the question, not his sister’s. That was fine, he guessed. He had been meaning to ask anyway, so he could help if he got clumsy for a little bit. Not that he wasn’t always clumsy with his thoughts, but for once he didn’t care for the slip. Couldn’t care to care for it. _

 

_ Mari was quiet for a moment, and Yuuri could feel her own thoughts being sorted before being projected. She started one, only to stop and sigh through her gills, her fingers removed from his skin to lay back against the floor like the other one. _

 

“ You know her. Well- not personally, but I know you’ve met. ” _ Mari started, pausing to see if Yuuri wanted to add onto his question, but when he didn’t she continued.  _ “ She’s a little bit older too. ”

 

“ I see, ” _ he heard himself saying from far away, as if on autopilot.  _ “ How long have you- Well- seen each other? ”

 

_ Yuuri could feel her confusion at the question, which made him raise a brow. It seemed like a simple enough question, and while he didn’t want to pry, he doubted Mari could have done anything to make her want to be dishonest with him, and her hesitation pulled from within him the feelings of worry. She had said that they were older, but Mari and himself weren’t exactly children anymore either, they just had some baby face left in them - Yuuri more so than Mari. Had Mari been seeing them for a very long time was what Yuuri asked himself. _

 

_ It was Mari’s hesitant response that confused and troubled him though. _

 

“ You don’t  _know_?” 

 

_ Yuuri could feel her shift again from underneath him, her smooth muscles moving as her tail flicked nervously. It was too distracting now, and he could feel the rest of his mind pulled back from wherever it was floating before, focused now on his one and only sister. When he finally looked up to meet her eyes she was looking away, fingers raking through her hair as she shrugged. That was when Yuuri realized: this was a confession to him. And he had to take it very seriously. _

 

_ Gently he discarded the shell to the floor and sat up, facing his sister. _

 

“ We haven’t been talking to each other long though, if that’s what you’re thinking about. ” _ She admitted, as though what she had said and what she was saying were two completely different things. It baffled him. _

 

“ You haven't been talking long, and yet you don’t know how long you’ve been seeing each other? ” _ He questioned, and Mari gave a long suffering sigh. He could feel her growing uncharacteristically frustrated at his confusion, as though she had already discussed the topic a thousand times before and was fed up with it already. _

 

_ Yuuri was was thankful though in that she seemed to reel herself in somehow, and quickly too. As though some thought had steeled her instantly, and Yuuri could feel the patience will over her with a strange fascination. _

 

“ It’s hard to explain really. ” _ She said, and Yuuri waited for her until she spoke again.  _ “ You’ll think I’m crazy. ”

 

“ I won’t. ” _ Yuuri reaffirmed her, and he meant it. It didn’t matter how crazy it sounded, he would try to understand for her. She would do the same for him. _

 

_ Mari still didn’t meet his eyes, but he could tell she was judging his resolve before caving in, the thoughts seeping through with a bit of hesitation. _

 

“ It’s hard to explain. But I think it’s kind of like… The way we met? It was like I had already met her, but we never finished our last conversation before. ” _ Mari could feel him bringing up another question, and she raised a hand to stop him.  _ “ It’s not only that. We  hadn’t met before, but when we really did, it was as though we already had. But we were also strangers, in a way. But when we talked more, and the more I got to know her, the more I realized that I already did? ” _ She tilted her head, mind scrambling to find the proper words to explain her experience.  _ “ It was like everything she did… Everything she said was… unsurprising. ” _ Mari nodded once at that, satisfied with the explanation. _

 

_ There was silence as Yuuri tried to digest what she said. It sounded uncharacteristically romantic of her, if he was being honest. Something a mer would say when they found someone who was perfect for them, to say that it takes only one meeting to know that they were the one, that they’d know them on a spiritual level. Like a soulmate would. But soulmates didn’t exist, and Mari wouldn’t say these kinds of things unless she had truly meant it. _

 

_ And she did. He could feel her sincerity, none of the lovesick haze that makes people say ridiculous things to convince others of their commitment to another. Mari said the things she did with hesitance, as though the truth shocked even her. _

 

_ Maybe… at least in Mari’s case, a soulmate could exist? Perhaps less in a spiritual way but more in a magical way? The connection between mer minds had always been a mystery and a phenomenon all in one. If Mari case was true, for some reason the connection may have been the reason for the familiarity between the two. _

 

_ But why wouldn’t it work with all mers then? Thoughts and some emotions could be projected, but could a person’s being be transmitted as well? To Yuuri, it made absolutely no sense. Even if it was the connection, even the most intricate of mind relations are garnered through years of familiarity and a solid bond to complete it. Or it could simply be the case of the compatibility between the two had just been so uniquely intense, but that still wouldn't explain Mari's actions. She wasn't the one to make brash decisions, and they both knew it. _

 

“ What is she like? ” _ Yuuri is what he asked instead, because that was the most important thing if he was being honest. It didn’t matter how mysteriously familiar the other mer was. If Mari couldn’t say that she even liked the other… Well he didn’t want to think about that. _

 

_ Mari however had huffed a laugh, catching onto his thoughts without even needing them projected to her.  _ “ Don’t worry, kid. She’s amazing. There’s…” _ Mari smile had dropped into something fond. _ “ There’s something about her being so familiar that makes me feel weird. Makes  _ us _ feel weird, but she isn’t a bad person to know. If anything it’s helped me realize quicker how much I want to be with her.”

 

_Yuuri smiled at the fondness in his sister's voice, and decided with a finality, that he would be happy for her._

 

_He wouldn't spare her however._

 

“ Like love at first sight." _ Yuuri sighed dramatically, leaning his cheek into the palm of his hand as though he would swoon. _

 

_ Mari scoffed at him.  _ “ Sounds stupid.”

 

“ They're your  words, not mine. ” _ he replied easily, huffing a laugh when Mari lightly punched him on the shoulder. _

 

“ Were you even listening? I did try to get to know her first you know."

 

“Sure.” _Yuuri drew out the thought in a manner that suggested that he did not believe her._ “And how long did that take?”

 

“ ...A few days.”

 

 _Yuuri gasped at that._ "Mari!"

 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry OK!" _Mari just shrugged her shoulders, and Yuuri got the feeling that she wasn't very sorry anymore._ "It just kind of happened."

 

_Yuuri was speechless. Sure, he knew that what Mari did was brash, but he couldn't imagine making that kind of commitment with another in just a few days, let alone with anyone at all. He doubted anyone would appreciate having to hear some of his lesser thoughts, but god forbid another having to hear all of them all the time. Mari chuckled to herself, and that's when Yuuri realized -_

 

_They had never been alone. Why Mari was uncharacteristically calm with him, as though someone was whispering encouragements to her all along. Yuuri felt stupid to not realize before, when that very fact was why they were having this meeting in the first place._

 

_Mari was bonded with another, and that fact wouldn't ever change after this day. She turned to look at him, her eyes crinkling in a smile and shining of a color that was definitely not her of her own. A dead giveaway that her mind was connected with another, and Yuuri doubted she'd have managed very long to hide the fact if she had even tried._

 

"She likes you, you know." _Mari smiled at him, and all Yuuri could do was blink._

 

"O-oh..." _He said dumbly, and Mari rolled her eyes, which were still shining and bright. The pink surrounding her dark brown irises was not unpleasant to look at._

 

"She wants to meet you, if you'll let her." _Yuuri nodded slowly, wondering idly if the mysterious other mer could see it through her eyes. Or did bonds even work like that? He hadn't thought much about bonding before, and now he was growing immensely curious as to how they'd work. He'd settle for asking Mari later, he thought to himself._

 

 _Mari must have realized he was receding back into his own thoughts, and brought his hands into hers, shaking them lightly._ "Yuuri." _She urged him until they met eyes again._ "I'm sorry for doing what I did. Especially for not telling you beforehand, but I won't just abandon you after this, you know that right?"

 

_Mari abandoning him had never crossed his mind but he let her words and emotions seep into him anyway, and found himself grateful for it._

 

"I know."

 

 _Mari smiled._ "I am serious though. No matter what Hiroko decides for us both, I'll make sure you stay safe ok?"

 

 _Yuuri sighed through his gills, closing his eyes and appreciating their closeness for a moment._ "I know Mari... Thank you."

 

 _Mari was quiet, squeezing his hands lightly before suddenly throwing them from herself, playfully discarding them as though she was greatly relieved to do so._ "Good. Now that we have the heart-to-heart done with, we best be getting you away from moping in this cave and scrubbing off the moss you've grown on your tail."

 

 _Yuuri froze, face burning in mortification._ "W-what?!" _He looked down at himself frantically. Having moss grow on one's tail is a sign of extreme laziness in a mer, and if any had grown on him and if Mari, or if - oh god - if her mate had seen it. He'd much rather waste himself down here forever thank you very much._

 

 _The front of his tail was a dark and speckled mess, still growing out of his guppy spots, but free of any moss. He sighed in embarrassment, having been done in so easily by his sister._ "Mari..." _he wined._

 

 _His sister raised an eyebrow at him, and pointed to her backside._ "Can't you feel it? It's right there."

 

_Skeptically he stared at his sister, but when she continued to look at him so genuinely he grew nervous again, lifting himself to feel around the back of his tail for the offending moss, stopping when his sister broke into a fit of broken giggles. His face was burning, having been done in again, this time dumbly fondling his own behind while his conniving sister watched him do it._

 

 _Oh she was_ so _dead._

 

"Mari!" _he yelled as he tackled her, personal space be damned. She had it coming._

 

_Mari continued to laugh however, not at all minding having to wrestle the smaller mer into submission. And she did so easily too, having Yuuri huffing and puffing but limp in her arms in a matter of minutes._

 

"Mari." _he growled._

 

"Yuuri?" _she purred back, kissing him on the head before humming._ "We haven't done that in ages. Why is that?"

 

"Maybe having a girlfriend makes you impossible." _he huffed again, but froze with guilt. He hoped she didn't take that literally._

 

 _Mari however didn't seemed to mind the insult at all. Instead she hugged him tighter in her arms, deep in thought._ "Maybe she is affecting me. In a way."

 

 _Yuuri was quiet when he responded._ "In a good way?"

 

_Mari hummed again, rubbing her chin against his hair, and Yuuri could only take that as a confirmation. Yuuri wrapped his arms around her, relinquishing in the fact that for whatever reason, most likely being the fact that she was now bonded, that Mari was going to cuddle him for the moment and he'd do better just to get used to it. It wasn't as unpleasant as he felt it should be, having not been this close to her in years. He even found himself melting into it, his eyes going heavy as his body relaxed against it._

 

_He was with his sister, and his sister was happy. She would take care of him, no matter what. Those were the thoughts that stuck with him as he let himself be held for the moment._

 

_Whatever was going to happen to them, they'd deal with it. Together. No matter what._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Foreshadowing??? Who knows.
> 
> EDIT: As you can see for this chapter, I've italicized most of it because it is a flashback. I intended to do this because it was originally attached to a section that was current story. Since I've cut it to be it's own chapter, should I switch the italicization for only dialogue? Would that make it easier to read? Feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Also I'm sorry there has been no Viktor yet. I will correct that soon ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy! A new character! Finally.

_ “…-uri!” _

 

Yuuri was back in the cave, on a hard rocky floor and definitely not in the warm embrace of family. A voice had echoed in his mind, but it wasn’t Mari’s. It was faint and hardly even recognizable.

 

Nevertheless, it shook Yuuri from his dreams and into awakeness. 

 

Yuuri's chest ached from his sobbing in his sleep, but the throbbing pain in the rest of his body had thankfully subsided into smaller bearable waves. He was still sore, and he dared not to move just yet, not until he felt the extent of the damage the battle had done. Not until he knew if he was even still alive. He hadn’t even dared to open his eyes yet, not wanting to grasp the new reality of pain and loneliness and being far far away from those who used to protect him.

 

Thoughts of family and pain was not a welcome mixture, but as they swirled together they were as potent as any kind of cocktail a human could ever brew, edging out his anxiety from wherever it rest, enticed by the scent of Yuuri’s growing despair and blood.

 

He was so alone. More than ever before. The fish eaters of his temporary home had coaxed him into a false sense of familiarity, that the beasts could suffice as proper companions on his long duteous quest for mer salvation, but it couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Never before had he regretted drifting so far from his friends and family. He didn’t even realize it before, but now it seemed so blatant. He could have been closer to them, could have appreciated them more. Could have thanked them more for their comforting words and their love.

 

Love. Yuuri was surrounded by so much and didn’t even realize it.

 

Mari would have been better at this than he was. Even now he knew she was protecting their people in his place as she would have been had she not stepped down from the role. She didn't need to, but Yuuri knew she would. She cared for their people as any rightful ruler should, and would do so no matter how long his absence would be. That thought was as much comforting as it was depressing. Fate had seen that Mari would always rule - inducted to do so or not - and Yuuri had pulled the shorter stick and was stuck in the middle of nowhere possibly about to bleed to death. He couldn't even feel mad about it, and especially not towards his sister. He remembers her promise to protect him as clear and as vividly as the dream had been, but he knew he couldn't have expected much out of Mari in their situation. It was out of her hands at the time, and Yuuri knew even if he had wanted to that passing the blame would have been useless.

 

Ultimately they deserved better than him. Better than a tattered mer lost in the middle of the ocean, easy pickings for the next fish eater who would catch the scent of his blood. He’d been surprised he hadn't been gobbled up in his sleep, snatched right out of his cubby when he’d be none the wiser, mauled in a flash of white teeth-

 

Yuuri yelped as his thoughts were blinded by pain. Then yelped again as his small body jerked forward, begging him to open his lips and take a breath he hadn’t even realize he was holding.

 

His body seemed to melt in gratitude when he did, slumping itself once again against the hard rocks and clearing his jumbled thoughts. It took several long minutes, pacing his breathing, trying to quell the last few spasmic jerks of his body from igniting the pain again, but once he did he realized that the task had calmed his mind into something reasonable again. Distractions were the best kind of meditation, and abating pain seemed to be one of them.

 

With Yuuri’s mind was less frantic, he could say with a certainty that his previous thoughts weren’t any less true. He had messed up, in both his life and his journey.

 

His people  _ did  _ deserve better than him.

 

But he was what they got, and only he could perform what he did just the day before. By some miracle, he had won that battle against the giant fish eater. Had it been anyone else they wouldn’t have survived at all, not to mention as long as he did. No one could perform magics like he could. So if he had to accept the few miracles he’s been given for the sake of his people, he’d take them, with his head hung low but his trident held high.

 

He’ll accept the miracle that he had managed to get this far. That he managed to survive the fight with most of his fins intact. And that he wasn’t eaten through the night.

 

He’d take these miracles and make it back home, to thank his family and friends, then try again.

 

He’d do it for them.

 

* * *

 

With small agonizingly slow motions, Yuuri slid his hands along his form to where he took the brunt of the attack.

 

Much like how he had ran his blade across the bodies of fishes and scraped off the scales, the fish eater’s teeth and trashing had done in something similar. His sides were littered in random splotches, scales forcefully scraped and scrubbed clean and the once smooth surface now revealing his blue tinted skin. It was freckled with blood and stung to the touch, but it didn't feel life threatening. At the very least it would be uncomfortable to swim and would leave some scarring once he did heal.

 

The most concerning visible injuries were the small cuts along his sides, and the one terrifying gash to one of the arms to his fins along his waist. The cut was deep along the appendage, and as Yuuri gently touched it, he feared it would be amputated if he didn’t soon care for it. The webbed ray that connected to the appendage was split, and Yuuri waved the fin pathetically, not at all enjoying the water seeping through the slit. The arm didn’t move as it should either, and it felt broken where it connected to his waist.

 

Yuuri felt his anxiety flex again like a bad aftertaste, but he willed himself not to give into it again. Not yet. The fin wasn’t necessarily an essential part of swimming, and though his direction and balance may be a little bit off, he could get by through using his hands. He could survive like this. At least for a while.

 

His other concern was the sprain to his back. At the time when it was pulled, he should have rested it, placed it against something cool and avoid further damage but the fish eater didn’t grant him that kind of luxury. Instead he was forced to twist and bend to the best of his ability and had even fallen again painfully against the fish eater’s back. At the very least at the time he was running on instinct and adrenaline, his pain dulled and mind ready to put himself through anything and everything to keep himself from being wrapped around those terrifying jaws once again. But now he’d have to pay the price for his survival.

 

Yuuri cursed himself for his own stupidity. Had he only stayed away from the tabooed surface. Had he only known where he was going before he had left his cubby home. Had he only been smarter and more experienced in the first place. Had he only not been alone… 

 

Slow hands pushed his body up from where it was curled along the rock floor and for the most part, with the help of the water keeping him afloat, the pain was almost nonexistent. It was when he gave his spine a curious twitch forward that he immediately regretted the motion, forcing himself to remain still as his body begged him to writhe around at the feeling.

 

He couldn’t swim like this, or at the very least very far. Slowly Yuuri dragged his body with his arms towards the opening of the rocks, taking a curious look outwards. 

 

Since he had woken he could feel the faintest murmuring of words that he couldn’t get a grasp of. The voice was tinged with a sour taste of desperation, as though the source was in great distress. Yuuri tried to reel in his spinning mind to concentrate on the sensation, trying to distinguish it from his own feelings. He had hit his head pretty hard too, but the voice was so far from his own - or anyone else he remembers for that matter - for him to think it was coming from himself and not from his own imagination.

 

The waves of the voice were also unstable, being sent off in all directions. It was weak, but edging with a request for all those who heard it to come closer.

 

Immediately Yuuri was on guard. He had not seen another mer since he had left home and sometimes he even doubted if there were any more out there who had survived the fall of the city and the wars against the land dwellers. He had even met many a species of non mers who could communicate. Perhaps this was a trick? To lure him out at his most vulnerable.

 

But on the other hand he had taken a vow. Ultimately his goal was to protect all mers, and if the desperate voice called him out because they needed help then Yuuri would never live it down. 

 

Yuuri almost pulled himself out of the cave when suddenly brunt of the wave was focused solely in his direction, a clear distinct voice now echoing in his head.

 

“ _ Yuri! _ ”

 

A flash of white from behind the coral and Yuuri quickly ducked back into his cave, trident called back into his hand in an instant. His heart was beating out of his chest as he forced his sore body into the farthest reaches of the cave, which wasn’t very far. His temporary safety was going to be his death trap he realized, with no exits and no room to fight. And now he was being stalked by a creature, a fish eater most likely, who could not only talk but knew his  _ name _ . It was surely going to find him, trap him with large jaws and fish him out with it’s teeth. Maybe it was same fish eater from before, having learned his name and came back to seek revenge, ready to finish the job once and for all-

 

Yuuri didn’t have time to think again as he could feel it come closer, ducking through the rocks and seeking him out. It was desperate to find him, and Yuuri knew it would soon.

 

“ _ Yur- _ !”

 

Silver hair peeked into the cave. Blue eyes met his and froze.

 

It was another mer, bigger than him or any other mer of his kind. His eyes were impossibly blue, enough that they even stood out from their distance and the backdrop of clear ocean behind him. Sparkling silver hair caressed face as it drifted in the water, the skin of his cheeks so startlingly pale it was unnatural. The mer's long tail moved in strong strokes as he entered the cave, scales jagged compared to Yuuri’s own rounded and smooth ones. They glittered in the light and Yuuri mentally sighed in relief at the sight of the healthy mer, not injured or distressed, and most importantly  _ real _ .

 

He was beautiful.

 

Yuuri’s trident slipped a bit from his grip in amazement at seeing another mer after such a long time in solitude. It felt like an eternity that their eyes were locked, and it seemed the other was just as shocked in his existence as Yuuri was his. Whatever he was searching for moments before, it certainly didn’t seem to be him. And it was when the mer caught a glint of his armor in his eye that he finally broke his stare from Yuuri down to his weapon.

 

Then his eyes blew impossibly wide.

 

In an instant the surprised mer was now bubbling in giddy excitement, eagerly projecting paragraphs upon paragraphs of thought into Yuuri’s brain that it became impossibly hard for him to keep up.

 

And then Yuuri realized he couldn’t even understand a lick of it.

 

Yuuri readjusted his grip on his trident. Yuuri had never heard such words before, the strange thoughts coming in like a babble in his mind. He almost felt that maybe there was some evolutionary reason, that maybe their connection wasn't perfect due to their difference, but Yuuri decided quickly that the thought was rude and improbable. He understood the base emotions of the other mer just fine, and none of what he'd been taught suggested that mental connections varied that greatly between mers.

 

Yuuri would have to accept that he'd have to be the first of this situation, to experience a language deficiency between mer folk. He wondered idly how he should proceed with it. The other mer would catch on soon enough, and Yuuri could only hope that their eagerness would mean that they would not turn him away in disappointment when he learned the truth. The mer in question was thankfully slowing his foreign thoughts at Yuuri's silence.

 

Then the mer scrunched his nose in disgust as the water finally caught his gills.

 

Yuuri bowed his head in shame and in apology. He knew what he must have smelled like to the other. Blood, vomit, and burnt flesh. Yuuri was a mangled mess and he knew it. It was a disgrace that a creature as beautiful as the other had even breathed the same water as him. First contact was not going as well as he'd hoped, Yuuri wept to himself.

 

The mer seemed to shake his head at those thoughts, a hand gently closing around his gills but determinedly coming closer to Yuuri as if to prove something. His eyes were inspecting Yuuri’s body, grimacing at the torn flesh and bone of his waist, but ultimately they were snagged by Yuuri’s still tight grip on his trident.

 

Then Yuuri realized it was his armor that the mer was staring at.

 

Yuuri raised his trident in defense, pointed directly at the large approaching mer’s chest.

 

“ _ Stop! _ ” Yuuri warned as the mer tilted his head in confusion. Yuuri pulled his lips back to hiss at the stranger, urging the other not to come any closer. Armor envy was not something unheard of from mers. They'd naturally crave the power and romantic connection heirs had with their equipment, and Yuuri would not fault the other for having felt the same. Nevertheless... 

 

Yuuri may have been immensely relieved to see the other. He was so unbearably lonely, more than he’d ever realize he could be, but after what he had gone through the day before there was no way he was giving the other even a fraction of hope that he’d part with his armor. He’d rather be in the jaws of death once again than part with it, and he’d prove his point here and now if he must.

 

With a pointed motion he switched the trident to his silver grip, the water instantly heating as the magic spread across the weapon.

 

There was nothing more powerful than demonstrating his magic to get the message across. The armor responded to  _ him _ . This magic was  _ his _ , and  _ his _ alone.

 

“ _ The armor is mine! _ ” Yuuri yelled into the other’s mind, as one final warning, and the other jumped back at the force of it. The mer probably didn’t even understand him, but his emotions should be enough. He would not be tested, especially not with this.

 

Yuuri did not expect him to bow low in submission. The mer quickly forfeited the space to him, projecting his apology and regret in small waves, clearly catching onto the language barrier between the two. It was quickly added on with a feeling of respect and the mer offered his hand to him, still bowing low and exposed.

 

Yuuri was baffled by the sight. He did not know what other mers heard of how armor and magic came to be, or if there were legends outside of his colony at all. Yuuri knew what his role was, and he would not harm the mer unless they meant to harm him. But the other might not have known that and yet still he remained bowed low, his hand an offering.

 

It was akin to one greeting royalty.

 

Yuuri shook his head, quelling the heat the best he could as he hesitantly placed his hand in the other’s (he noted that it was his black armored hand that was asked for not the other).

 

The mer’s fingers squeezed around his softly. Now Yuuri didn't know what to think. He'd never before been treated tenderly by a stranger, and he definitely had never been submitted to. Royalty was not something upheld in the kind of regard like the stories had. His people held respect for his family sure, but they had never offered superfluous pampering as his family had never demanded it. They were royalty only in the regard that they held council over the people and provided protection. Yuuri once again found himself out of his league in the world, and hardly noticed when the still bowing mer was slowly bringing his hand closer to himself. A chaste kiss was placed against his fingers, and mer kept his lips against his knuckles as looked up between his silver fringe to stare up at Yuuri, directly into his eyes.

 

Yuuri shivered.

 

Ok. Maybe not like royalty…

 

Yuuri shook his head again when he realized that the other had projected something to him, but his clouded mind didn’t quite catch it.

 

The mer chuckled against his fingers and Yuuri shivered again. Then he repeated the thought.

 

“ _ V-Vik… tor? _ ” Yuuri asked. He had never heard the word before, and wondered aloud what exactly it meant.

 

The mer just nodded once, bringing his hand from those beautiful lips to place against his chest, right where the mer’s heart would be.

 

“ _ Viktor. _ ”

 

Yuuri’s eyes widened in recognition, and the mer gave a thrill in excitement, bouncing Yuuri’s hand in his.

 

“ _Y-Yuuri._ ” he nodded to the other- to Viktor.

 

“ _Yuri?_ ” Viktor’s head shot up in surprise, looking around him frantically. Yuuri found it strange. Did his name mean something unpleasant in the other's tongue? He certainly hoped not.

 

“ _No, not Yuri. Yuuri._ ” The pronunciation was wrong. It was more drawn out, different than how Viktor said it.

 

“ _Yuuri…_ ” Viktor spoke with an expression Yuuri didn't recognize. Yuuri felt a little bad for him. It wasn't the other mer's fault they didn't speak the same language. Well, technically it wasn't Yuuri's fault either, but as the one with the higher status Yuuri felt responsible somehow anyway.

 

Yuuri decided to just nod. Viktor's pronunciation was still a little off, accented in a weird way, but it was still very close. “ _Yuuri._ ”

 

“ _Yuuri._ ” Viktor beamed at him like he'd just been showered in praise. “ _Yuuri! Yuuri! Yuuri!_ ”

 

Yuuri tried to squash the burning in his cheeks, prying his hand from Viktor’s. “ _Yes Viktor, Yuuri._ ” The reaffirmation seemed to make the other even more animated, and Yuuri slumped back against the rocks. He was suddenly very tired.

 

Viktor jabbed a finger at his body suddenly, and Yuuri jumped at the sudden movement. Wha-?

 

" _Armor?_ " Viktor asked with a small tilt of his head, still pointing at Yuuri's body - or rather, his armor.

 

Yuuri only nodded once and Viktor practically preened at him. Yuuri shuddered out a breath in disbelief. The other mer had been talking to him non stop since they met and yet it only took a couple words from Yuuri for the other to start learning his language. He'd almost envy his level intelligence had it not been making their interaction all the more easier.

 

" _Yuuri. Armor. Yuuri, armor. Yuuri armor, Yu-_ " Viktor froze, and Yuuri suddenly found himself staring at the spot the sparkling mer had once been. Oh- he had dashed outside suddenly.

 

Yuuri blinked tiredly at where the entrance. Was he just... abandoned? His skin prickled at the thought.

 

" _Vi-Viktor?_ "

 

There was a cold, dreadful moment of silence.

 

And then a silver head poked in back again. Viktor grimaced. " _Yuuri._ "

 

Yuuri sighed in relief when Viktor re-entered the cave and swam back to him. He even took the hand that was offered, relinquishing it to any more awkward kisses if it meant that the other wouldn't leave him again. But Viktor didn't kiss it this time - face serious and thoughtful. Instead he gave it a gentle tug.

 

" _Do you want me to follow you?_ " Yuuri asked, and Viktor blinked purposely at him.

 

" _Yuuri. Follow._ " Viktor responded easily, and now Yuuri shivered for an entirely different reason. 

 

It made sense. The water here was ill, tainted in his blood among other things. Anything with the right kind of nose would be able to sniff him out - and they would. They most certainly would, there was no doubt about that. Staying here was like submitting to the fate he had so feared just moments before.

 

But going with the strange mer brought on a whole new plethora of concerns. For one, he still didn't know if he trusted the other. Viktor may have shown otherwise, but there was every possibility that the mer still wanted his armor. And if he did, what better way than to wait till Yuuri felt safe and started to become foolishly careless around him. It's what made the most sense in his mind, and Yuuri kept the vice grip on his trident just in case.

 

On the other hand, if he did leave with Viktor, he would be almost entirely at his mercy. Out in the open water, he would be completely reliant on the other to defend him and get them to safety. He doubted Viktor would bring him to any predators - there was no use to his armor if it was in the belly of some beast, but Yuuri also doubted his strength to fight Viktor should he try to strip him of it once they were out.

 

Yuuri's mind jumbled with thoughts as he weighed the different possibilities, and Viktor stared quietly at him as he did. After a while and Yuuri still hadn't come to a decision Viktor seemed to lose his patience and tugged him gently again.

 

" _Yuuri._ " Viktor urged him until he finally met his eyes. When they did Viktor's softened. He gave Yuuri a small, encouraging smile. Viktor tilted his head towards the exit and tugged once again. " _Follow?_ "

 

Yuuri's heart skipped a beat as he melted. He quickly averted his eyes and cursed to himself.

 

It wasn't fair. 

 

Slowly he nodded. The explosion of emotions he expected from Viktor didn't come, and Yuuri was grateful for it. Instead Viktor calmly urged him away from the wall, his other arm making its way around his shoulder in a firm grip. Gently he pried him from the rocky surface of the small cave and towards the entrance, pausing immediately at the flash of pain he saw from Yuuri's face. Viktor threw questions into his head mixed with concern, and Yuuri shook them off. Viktor didn't know about his other injuries, but it was alright. He'd bare it if it meant getting out of the disgusting cave.

 

After a few shaking breathes he urged Viktor to move again, and then he did - this time trying his best not to jostle his body with the strong strokes of his tail. Yuuri breathed deeply as the fresh water reached his gills, and could hardly help it when he slumped against the other. He was tired, his body heavy and his mind clouded. Despite his earlier judgement, he decided he needed this. He wouldn't be able to help it now - the strange mer had his grip on him, now with both arms around his torso, his chest flush against his. There was no point in being stiff about it, so he should just close his eyes and let the mysterious and beautiful mer take him, to wherever that would be, and deal with the consequences later. 

 

And that's what he did. He shut his eyes, his trident now firm in his obsidian hand and pressed against the back of the strong body of the paler mer who he was wrapped so comfortably around. He tucked his head against the mer's neck, and let the repeating mantra of his own name being softly projected by the other into his mind lull him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theories on what's going to happen next? Will there be a Viktor's POV of their meeting in the future? Probably.

**Author's Note:**

> This writer has no beta  
> Comments keep this writer motivated


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